How do you investigate a catastrophe 3,000 times bigger than the last five combined?
Bill Gurley
@bgurley answered with a line from Richard Feynman.
At Jason Calacanis's
@Jason All-In Summit, Gurley sized COVID-19 at 15 million deaths against roughly 5,000 combined for Surfside, the 737 MAX, Katrina, Fukushima and Challenger. Then he recalled Feynman on the Challenger panel, told once to soften his tone, replying: "But seven people died." Gurley's question back to the room: if seven deaths justified dropping the niceties then, what does 15 million justify now?
The size of a catastrophe should set the limit on how much anyone gets to protect an institution's comfort while investigating it. That limit moves with the death count, not with who's uncomfortable answering.
Podcast Alpha's newsletter breaks down every number behind Gurley's 3,000x comparison and what it leaves out.
Source: All-In Podcast -